Thursday, July 12, 2012

As far as statements are concerned, Chris Weidman’s could not have been more profound.

The fast-rising middleweight contender stopped Mark Munoz on a horrific second-round standing elbow and follow-up ground punches in the UFC on Fuel TV 4 headliner on Wednesday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Weidman (9-0, 5-0 UFC) polished off the most significant victory of his MMA career 1:37 into round two.

With that, he likely emerged as the No. 1 contender for the UFC middleweight crown.

“I want Anderson Silva,” Weidman said. “Every single time I’ve had a full training camp, I’ve gotten a finish. Give me a full training camp, and I’d love a shot at the man.”

Munoz (12-3, 7-3 UFC) was never a factor in the fight. Weidman struck for immediate takedown in the first round and proceeded to run a grappling clinic on the onetime NCAA wrestling champion. He flowed from one submission to the next and complemented them with elbows from side mount and knees from the front headlock position.

Weidman delivered another takedown in the second round. Munoz returned to his feet, but as he approached the Serra-Longo Fight Team ace, Weidman unleashed the vertical elbow. He transitioned to the dazed Munoz’s back, drove him to the ground and sealed it with a series of violent strikes on the ground. The barrage left Munoz a bloody mess.

“I’ve been playing around with some elbows,” Weidman said. “I’ve got the long reach for it. [UFC light heavyweight champion] Jon Jones pretty much gave a good blueprint on how to use them, so I just tried to follow that order, and, thank God, it landed.

“Mark Munoz is a serious warrior,” he added. “He came back after a serious injury. Anybody who is an athlete knows what is like to come back, especially in front of all you people. There is a lot of pressure. He did a great job. I know he’s going to be down on himself, but just get back up there and you’re going to do great, man.”

The defeat brought an abrupt end to Munoz’s four-fight winning streak.

“He caught me with that elbow coming in,” Munoz said. “I was trying to come in with that overhand right. That’s what happens sometimes. He’s a great competitor, and props goes to him. He landed that elbow really good.”